Dear friends,
"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phil. 2: 9-11
In all of Haiti's history, there has always been Carnival. Haiti is known for its Mardi Gras celebration that last days, costs the government lots of money, and harms many people. The news will glorify the festival, saying that it is a cultural celebration. But, they don't understand the devastation that Carnival leaves in its wake. Carnival is a voudoo service--it is worshipping Satan. In the act of worship, practitioners will spend their last dime, harm themselves, or willingly let possession take place. There are always people that die and many others are injured. But, the news will only show the dancing and singing and partying. People come from all over the world to celebrate Carnival in Haiti. Carnival was to be this week.
But, for the first time, Haiti's government has cancelled Carnival. Instead, the president has called for 3 days of national prayer. That is a miracle, my friends. That is what we have been praying for since coming to serve in Haiti. What an opportunity this will be to stand up for the name of Jesus. The nation of Haiti will be spending Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in fasting and prayer. For our community, we will be uniting the local churches to pray and fast together. The community chose to use our worship center as its meeting place. They chose our facility without us knowing about the decision. We are so glad that we are able to provide the setting for the services. Pray that JeanJean and the other leaders will be able to guide people to Christ for their comfort. Our prayer has always been that God would fill up the worship center with people who are looking for Him. The community is encouraging those who go to church and those that don't to join together to pray. We hope that many new people will be exposed to the gospel and that people's faith will be strengthened. May the whole nation be as the jailer in Acts 16:30 that experienced the earthquake in the prison and called out to Paul, "...what must I do to be saved?" I have been convicted that God can use a major disaster to become a major turning point for Haiti. Please consider praying and fasting yourselves on these days. Haiti is still desperately in need of your prayers.
We have been sending money and supplies to the churches of Pastor TessiChrist, Smith, and Raynold in Port-au-Prince. They are so grateful for all the help that has been given to their congregations. We will be sending another load of charcoal on Sunday as that is still a big need. The pastors do ask for people to pray for the sicknesses that are spreading. Many, many people suffer from GI problems such as diarrhea due to the lack of good water. People suffer respiratory problems as well from the stench and dust that still hovers in Port. Also, the flies and rats are becoming major problems, as well. The government is not allowing construction to begin since the clean-up is far from over and codes and regulations need to be instigated.
Many of you have told us how you are praying for our full house. We appreciate that so much. One of the little girls at our house turned 4 today and had her first birthday party. Many people here don't keep track of birthdays as it is difficult to get presents and to celebrate. But, Tana and Kerri and their friends made a cake, decorated the house, and wrapped up some presents for Judiana. I don't know if she'll settle down to sleep after all the excitement! I can't say enough how blessed we are to have such good people with us. We have sent several of 'our people' to Port so that they can salvage what they can from the rubble of their houses. Many refugees in our area are seriously considering building here. UCI may have a lot of opportunities to help with construction in the near future.
JeanJean, along with the Haitian board, have been praying diligently about how to transition from relief to development. They have several ideas on how to help find work for those who have been displaced. They have been considering training people in agriculture and microfinance along with training on the Bible. Please pray for these decisions. We want to be good stewards of the relief money that you have so graciously given.
The pastors from other communities that received relief monies from UCI last week returned with their reports. I haven't added up all the families that benefitted but I know that it touched hundreds of people in far-off communities that are often forgotten.
I don't want to make this update too long but I need to let you know that UCI's on-going ministries are doing well. Without our board, we would not have been able to do both the regular ministries and relief. We are so grateful for the men of the board. We have been able to start 2 new nutrition centers which brings the total to seven places where kids are nourished physically and spiritually. I have a couple of pictures to share.
I told you in a previous update that our youth group went and prayed with the families who lost sons in the quake. They brought an offering as well. From seeing how blessed the people were, the youth group has decided to try to raise money by selling coffee. They have made 30 lbs. already. They hope to use this money to bless others who are unable to help themselves. The group also spent all day Saturday helping a family that lost a son in the quake to rebuild their house. We are also up to 54 houses that have received cement floors. Saul, our agricultural specialist, is planning on training 10-20 men/refugees on how to raise crops to make a good profit.
There are so many other things to report but we'll leave you there. God bless you!
JeanJean, Kristie, Tana and Kerri Mompremier
I encourage you to consider fasting and praying one, two, or all three days along with our Haitian brothers and sisters. -Laura
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